Haley Joel Osment began his career at age five with a featured appearance in a TV commercial for Pizza Hut. With his blond hair, expressive blue eyes and moon face, this juvenile player soon landed his first screen role as Forest Junior in the Oscar-winning "Forest Gump" (1994). Osment segued to TV series, playing the adorable grandson of a gruff Edward Asner in the short-lived ABC sitcom "Thunder Alley" (1994-95) followed by a two-year stint as Jeff Foxworthy's son in "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" (ABC, 1995-96; NBC, 1996-97). The busy young actor continued to land guest roles including a recurring stint as Candice Bergen's son Avery Brown on the CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown" in it final season and memorable turns as a boy genius on "The Pretender" in 1998 and a cancer-stricken boy determined to sue God on a moving episode of "Ally McBeal" in 1999. Additionally, Osment appeared in TV-movies more than holding his own acting alongside such veterans as Tom Selleck ("Last Stand at Saber River," TNT 1997), Christopher Lloyd ("The Ransom of Red Chief," ABC, 1998) and Maureen O'Hara ("Cab to Canada," CBS 1998). Osment proved he was more than a cute sitcom actor in "Bogus" (1996), playing a newly orphaned boy who...

Haley Joel Osment began his career at age five with a featured appearance in a TV commercial for Pizza Hut. With his blond hair, expressive blue eyes and moon face, this juvenile player soon landed his first screen role as Forest Junior in the Oscar-winning "Forest Gump" (1994). Osment segued to TV series, playing the adorable grandson of a gruff Edward Asner in the short-lived ABC sitcom "Thunder Alley" (1994-95) followed by a two-year stint as Jeff Foxworthy's son in "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" (ABC, 1995-96; NBC, 1996-97). The busy young actor continued to land guest roles including a recurring stint as Candice Bergen's son Avery Brown on the CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown" in it final season and memorable turns as a boy genius on "The Pretender" in 1998 and a cancer-stricken boy determined to sue God on a moving episode of "Ally McBeal" in 1999. Additionally, Osment appeared in TV-movies more than holding his own acting alongside such veterans as Tom Selleck ("Last Stand at Saber River," TNT 1997), Christopher Lloyd ("The Ransom of Red Chief," ABC, 1998) and Maureen O'Hara ("Cab to Canada," CBS 1998).

Osment proved he was more than a cute sitcom actor in "Bogus" (1996), playing a newly orphaned boy who communicates with the titular imaginary character (Gerard Depardieu). In a role that could have devolved into cloying cuteness, he kept it real and believable, proving an effective scene partner for both Depardieu and Whoopi Goldberg (as his new guardian). Osment went on to deliver a sterling turn as a troubled youngster who seemingly possesses psychic abilities in the thriller "The Sixth Sense" (1999). Even those critics who had problems with the film praised the youngster's performance and he was rewarded with an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor.

Osment's young career blew up after his stellar perfromance in "Sixth Sense" and he immediately took leading roles in the 2000's "Pay it Forward" and 2001's "Artificial Intelligence: AI." Both lofty projects fell way short of expectations, but Osment continued to receive positive reviews for his acting ability. He also made a departure from the blockbuster scene with the dramatic WWII film "Edges of the Lord" (2001), playing a young Jewish boy who hides from the Nazis with a group of priests. While the film has not yet been released in the U.S., it has been well received by international audiences and hailed as a triumph for the young actor.

Co-starred with Jude Law in Steven Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence"

2003:

Co-starred with Robert Duvall and Michael Caine in the film, "Secondhand Lions"

1983:

First professional job in a Pizza Hut TV commercial

1994:

Played Edward Asner's grandson on the ABC sitcom "Thunder Alley"

1999:

Breakthrough role, playing a child who is able to see dead people in the blockbuster, "The Sixth Sense"; directed by M. Night Shyamalan and co-starred Bruce Willis; received a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination

Made Broadway theatre debut in a revival of David Mamet's "American Buffalo"

1994:

Made feature film debut as the title character's (Tom Hanks) son in "Forrest Gump"

1997:

Played Murphy's son Avery on the final season of the CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown"

2001:

Starred with Willem Dafoe in the WWII drama "Edges of the Lord"

1997:

Voiced Chip in the direct-to-video release "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas"

1995:

Was regular on the short-lived series "The Jeff Foxworthy Show"; first aired on ABC and then NBC for one season

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Education

Flintridge Preparatory School:
La Cañada, California -

New York University:
New York, New York -

Notes

"It's Osment, whose Cole is such an intelligent, tortured child, who easily gives the best kid performance of the year. In fact, if he were to get an Oscar nomination, it would be both historic and just." --From "When It Comes to Creepiness, This Project Has a 'Sixth Sense'" by John Anderson in Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1999

"Haley Joel Osment ... is a very good actor in a film where his character possibly has more lines than anyone else. He's in most of the scenes, and he has to act in them--this isn't a role for a cute kid who can stand there and look solemn in reaction shots. There are fairly involved dialogue passages between [Bruce] Willis and Osment that require good timing, reactions and the ability to listen. Osment is more than equal to them." --From Roger Ebert's review of "The Sixth Sense", The Chicago Sun-Times, August 6, 1999